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CNN Live Today

Uniforms, Cyanide Stolen in Truck Heists

Aired May 16, 2002 - 11:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Border agents in the American southwest are on the watch today for a tractor-trailer filled with cyanide. Gunmen stole the truck in Mexico over the weekend. Authorities are not sure, at this point, if it's just a run-of-the-mill robbery or possible groundwork for a terrorist attack.

Here is reporter Jeff Napshin. He's with our affiliate KTBC out of Austin, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF NAPSHIN, REPORTER KTBC (voice-over): Trucker Steve Covey (ph) has been driving the roads of America for more than a quarter century.

STEVE COVEY (ph): With the amount of fuel we have on, I can leave Texas, and in 24 hours I'm sitting in California.

NAPSHIN: That's what worries him about this missing truck. Reports from Mexico say it was stolen at gun point last week, with a cargo of nearly 100 barrels of cyanide. Covey (ph) fears it could easily cross the border in to Texas.

COVEY (ph): If you have enough money.

NAPSHIN (ph) (on camera): Really? It's money?

COVEY (ph): Money. It all comes down to who -- pay somebody off, and it's gone.

NAPSHIN (ph) (voice-over): Truck driver Pat Bandy (ph) says every big rig is stamped with a vehicle identification number. But too often those serial numbers are torn off.

PAT BANDY (ph), TRUCK DRIVER: Any truck-maker can tell you where all those places are. And a guy that's out there stealing trucks knows exactly where all those are, and we're going to scratch them all off.

NAPSHIN: Cyanide is a crystal-like powder used by industrial companies in chemical reactions. It is poisonous, causing a violent death. Experts say the most likely mass attack would be in our drinking water supply. ALAN COMBS, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: Before people started getting poisoned, the fish would float. You know, you would have markers that would tell you that something bad has happened.

NAPSHIN: But Professor Combs says it takes a lot of cyanide to make you sick. Meanwhile, the Department of Public Safety isn't talking, and no one knows for sure if this is a simple robbery or the beginning of a terrorist attack.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: All right. And our thanks to KTBC in Austin, Texas for that report.

Still news of another truck. The FBI is also investigating a truck theft in Kansas City. This one carried uniforms for airline ramp workers and ground crews.

Patty Davis is covering the story from Washington -- Patty, again, they're not sure if this is just a simple robbery or something much bigger.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, what the FBI is saying is that it looks like it was not terrorism. But the Kansas City International Airport is on the lookout following the truck heist. The concern, though raised by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta that someone posing as an airport worker dressed in the stolen uniforms could try to get access to airplanes there.

FBI saying that it has no leads, no suspects in the heist. The truck was stolen nearly two weeks ago, late at night from the Cintas uniform company in Kansas City. It was recovered the next day, but the uniforms are still missing. The FBI says at this point, though, that it looks like it really wasn't the work of terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF LANZA, FBI SPOKESMAN: We don't believe that the uniforms were stolen to be used to gain illegal access into a restricted facility like the airport. Everything that we determined is consistent with someone stealing a truck to get the cargo to resell or to pot on the black market for monetary purposes.

We don't believe and there's no indication that these uniforms were stolen by terrorists or anyone trying to do anything to airplanes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: The FBI, though, is not ruling out other options, other possibilities there. Now scary enough in these times of heightened airport security for authorities to be taking notice -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Patty Davis, with the latest on that, thank you so much.

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